Not all need counselling

Experts are warning Bali victims and their families not to feel obliged to undergo crisis counselling and debriefing sessions, amid concern this can hinder psychological recovery.

The president of the Australasian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Paddy Burges Watson, said: "There is no conclusive proof debriefing can make any difference to longer term recovery." Dr Burges Watson said there was some evidence it could be harmful, "but I don't think that negates the value of having people available to listen and be supportive."

While refusing to talk about trauma could indicate psychological problems, "equally it's not a good thing to rake it over and over in the beginning," said Dr Burges Watson, a Hobart psychiatrist who is treating survivors of the 1996 Port Arthur massacre.

Vulnerable people could be caught up by the "counselling juggernaut", but the community, he said, needed to accept that at least half those affected would spontaneously recover and some would even experience positive "personality growth" as a result of their experience.

David Forbes, a post-traumatic stress disorder specialist at the Australian Centre for Post-Traumatic Mental Health in Melbourne, said many people managed well after a disaster without professional help.

Avoiding thinking about their experiences could be helpful to some. "We don't want to overwhelm them with distressing thoughts when they may be coping in their own way," Mr Forbes said.

Experts were "moving away from debriefing and talking about the details as a matter of course," and practical help - particularly in communicating with family and friends back home - might be more valuable to Australians in Bali than formal counselling.

A spokeswoman for the federal health department said state departments were providing counselling for victims of the bombing and their friends and relatives.